User Interface Update?

[Fusionx]

Any word on the new User Interface?

Back at Vanafest we were shown a tiny sample of what was currently in development and that they hoped it would be ready for Seekers of Adoulin.


Is it looking like the UI will make SoA launch? An update on this would be nice, maybe a few new images too /nudgenudgewinkwink

[odericko]

Is it looking like the UI will make SoA launch?

I hope so.

[Alhanelem]

There hasn't been any news on it, but supposedly it will be on the test server sometime before that.

[Limecat]

I'm going to guess "no" on principle. It's such a huge change I can't imagine they wouldn't have said something recently if it were getting close to completion. Also, if I'm not completely remembering wrong they had originally given a very rough guesstimate of closer to next November for SoA. Take that for what you will in wondering about whether the new UI will be ready to go or not.

[Zhronne]

I wonder if the new UI will be just for aesthetics or if it's gonna have functionalities too.
They mentioned being able to have two separate Chatboxes, but what else?


1) Will there be more accurate/detailed chat filters?
2) Will you be able to see additional information about your character? (Accuracy, Ranged Accuracy, Ranged Attack, Magic Defense, Evasion, etc)
3) Will you be able to change the font SIZE inside the chat box? Would be useful being able to reduce it a bit.
4) Will there be additional information concerning your buff/debuff? Like an accurate timer that displays how much time it's left before it wears off?

[Alhanelem]

I wonder if the new UI will be just for aesthetics or if it's gonna have functionalities too.
They mentioned being able to have two separate Chatboxes, but what else?


1) Will there be more accurate/detailed chat filters?
2) Will you be able to see additional information about your character? (Accuracy, Ranged Accuracy, Ranged Attack, Magic Defense, Evasion, etc)
3) Will you be able to change the font SIZE inside the chat box? Would be useful being able to reduce it a bit.
4) Will there be additional information concerning your buff/debuff? Like an accurate timer that displays how much time it's left before it wears off?

Chat filters dont depend on the new UI- they could change them without it.

The UI isn't going to give any new information, it's just going to mean better configurability of the UI with the draggable windows and such- also mouse input is supposedly going to be better (e.g. not useless).

It can't give us new info (e.g. show us stats that aren't shown now) because it wouldn't be fair to xbox/ps2 who cant use the new UI.

[Zhronne]

The UI isn't going to give any new information

Actually they already mentioned there will be new stuff.
The double split chat box that I mentioned, but also PT/Alliance TP/MP data (that you can already see if you use Windower or similar tools).
Going by these lines, I was just wondering if there will be more or not.

It can't give us new info (e.g. show us stats that aren't shown now) because it wouldn't be fair to xbox/ps2 who cant use the new UI.

This is the way they wanted us to believe for the past 10 years, but it's a way of reasoning that has serious flaws, and they're the first who started to acknowledge that by starting to work on a new UI.

Being able to play at 1920x1080 instead of 540xXXX (PS2) is already an "unfair" difference if you want to see things that way.
If you consider these things unfair, then there are many already, some of which are way bigger than being able to see your Ranged attack would be.
Because seriously, how really "unfair" would that be? How big of an advantage would it create compared to PS2 users?

This just isn't the correct way to see things, because the next step would be to consider unfair the fact that some PC users can load zones faster thanks to SSD hard disks, better cable connections etc.
Let's just make everyone play at 800x600 with bad textures because otherwise that would be unfair towards people who still play with a 2004 PC with Windows 98 installed on it.


The "unfair" thing was just an excuse, plain and simple.

[Alhanelem]

Actually they already mentioned there will be new stuff.
The double split chat box that I mentioned, but also PT/Alliance TP/MP data (that you can already see if you use Windower or similar tools).
Going by these lines, I was just wondering if there will be more or not.

You'll have to source this. Never heard anything of the sort. I don't think they'd ever give us alliance TP/MP because it's not fair to the console players.

Being able to play at 1920x1080 instead of 540xXXX (PS2) is already an "unfair" difference if you want to see things that way.

A higher resolution isn't really an imbalance because it's purely asthetic. 16:9 FoV is available on all platforms as far as I know, so there is no advantage in field of vision.

because the next step would be to consider unfair the fact that some PC users can load zones faster thanks to SSD hard disks,

FFXI isn't installed on my SSD (I have one) because I don't think it will benefit. zones already load so fast that the performance gain doesn't matter.

The only thing here that would truly be unfair is revealing alliance TP/MP and hidden stats, because those are things even legitimate PC players don't have, let alone the console versions. As I said, you'll have to source this information for me to believe it. i would agree with your "its just an excuse sentiment," but it is a legitimate concern, so you can't just go out and say that. I think everyone is just expecting it to do that becaues widower lets us do it.

[odericko]

You'll have to source this. Never heard anything of the sort. I don't think they'd ever give us alliance TP/MP because it's not fair to the console players.

I can't find a source on it either, though they did come out and say they're gonna allow users to make there own scripts for it. It's not clear what this means, but I'm thinking it's gonna be like UI mods/plugins for other games that official support them. Since the TP info and such is already in the game (just not shown) I'm pretty sure there's gonna be a script to use with the new UI to see that data. We got to wait and see I guess.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

I wonder if the new UI will be just for aesthetics or if it's gonna have functionalities too.

If I remember correctly, they mentioned changes up to and including an exposed API for legitimate Windower-style plug-ins.